Contents

1. Introduction

An LCHF diet means you eat fewer carbohydrates and a higher proportion of fat. Most importantly you minimize your intake of sugar and starches. You can eat other delicious foods until you are satisfied – and still lose weight.

You do not need to count calories or weigh your food. And just forget about industrially produced low fat products.

There are solid scientific reasons why LCHF works. When you avoid sugar and starches your blood sugar stabilizes and the levels of insulin, the fat-storing hormone, drop. This increases fat burning and makes you feel more satiated.

Note for diabetics

Avoiding the carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar decreases your need for medication to lower it. Taking the same dose of insulin as you did prior to adopting a low-carb diet might result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You need to test your blood sugar frequently when starting this diet and adapt (lower) your medication. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a knowledgeable physician. If you’re healthy or a diabetic treated either by diet alone or just with Metformin there is no risk of hypoglycemia.

2. Video course

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3. What to Eat

Eat all you like

Meat: Any type, including beef, pork, game meat, chicken, etc. Feel free to eat the fat on the meat as well as the skin on the chicken. If possible try to choose organic or grass fed meat.

Fish and shellfish: All kinds: Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring are great. Avoid breading.

Natural fat, high-fat sauces: Using butter and cream for cooking can make your food taste better and make you feel more satiated. Try a Béarnaise or Hollandaise sauce, check the ingredients or make it yourself. Coconut oil and olive oil are also good options.

Avoid if you can

Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, French fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on. Wholegrain products are just less bad. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are high in carbs. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK (unless you’re eating extremely low carb).

Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.

Beer: Liquid bread. Full of rapidly absorbed carbs, unfortunately.

Fruit: Very sweet, lots of sugar. Eat once in a while. Treat fruit as a natural form of candy.

Once in a while

You decide when the time is right. Your weight loss may slow down a bit.

You Don’t Have to Be Twenty to Get Lean with LCHF

“Thanks for Saving My Husband”

“Before, I Was Ruled by Food”

5. How LCHF Works

What are you designed to eat?

Humans evolved over millions of years as hunter-gatherers, without eating large amounts of carbohydrates. We ate the food available to us in nature by hunting, fishing and gathering all the edible foods we could find. These foods did not include pure starch in the form of bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. We have only eaten these starchy foods for 5 – 10 000 years, since the development of agriculture. Only a limited adaptation of our genes takes place in such a relatively short time.

With the Industrial Revolution, 100 – 200 years ago, we got factories that could manufacture large amounts of pure sugar and white flour. Rapidly digested pure carbohydrates. We’ve hardly had time to genetically adapt to these processed foods.

In the 80s, the fear of fat gripped the western world. Low-fat products popped up everywhere. But if you eat less fat you need to eat more carbohydrates to feel satiated. And it’s at this time in history that our disastrous epidemics of obesity and diabetes started. The most fat-phobic country in the world, the USA, was hit the hardest and is now the world’s most obese country.

Today, it’s clear that the fear of real food with natural fat contents has been a big mistake.

The problem with sugar and starch

All digestible carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars in the intestines. The sugar is then absorbed into the blood, raising the blood glucose levels. This increases the production of the hormone insulin, our fat storing hormone.

Insulin is produced in the pancreas. In large amounts it prevents fat burning and stores surplus nutrients in fat cells. After some time (a few hours or less) this may result in a perceived shortage of nutrients in the blood, creating feelings of hunger and cravings for something sweet. Usually at that point people eat again. This starts the process again: A vicious cycle leading to weight gain.

On the other hand, a low intake of carbs gives you a lower, more stable blood glucose, and lower amounts of insulin. This increases the release of fat from your fat stores and increases the fat burning. This usually leads to fat loss, especially around the belly in abdominally obese individuals.

Weight loss without hunger

An LCHF diet makes it easier for the body to use its fat reserves, as their release is no longer blocked by high insulin levels. This may be one reason why eating fat produces a feeling of longer-lasting satiety than carbohydrates. It’s been shown in a number of studies: When people eat all they want on a low carb diet caloric intake typically drops.

So, no counting or food weighing is necessary. You can forget about the calories and trust your feelings of hunger and satiety. Most people don’t need to count or weigh their food any more than they need to count their breathing. If you don´t believe it, just try for a couple of weeks and see for yourself.

Health as a bonus

No animals in nature need the assistance of nutritional expertise or calorie charts to eat. And still, as long as they eat the food they are designed to eat they stay at a normal weight and they avoid caries, diabetes and heart disease. Why would humans be an exception? Why would you be an exception?

Initial side effects

If you stop eating sugar and starch cold turkey (recommended) you may experience some side effects as your body adjusts. For most people these side effects tend to be mild and last a just few days. There are also ways to minimize them.

Common side effects in the first week:

Headache

Fatigue

Dizziness

Heart palpitations

Irritability

The side effects rapidly subside as your body adapts and your fat burning increases. They can be minimized by drinking more fluids and by temporarily increasing your salt intake a bit. A good option is to drink some broth every few hours. Alternatively, drink a few extra glasses of water and put extra salt on your food.

The reason for this is that carbohydrate-rich foods may increase the water retention in your body. When you stop eating high-carb foods you’ll lose excess water through your kidneys. This can result in dehydration and a lack of salt during the first week, before the body has adapted.

Some people prefer to decrease their intake of carbohydrates slowly, over a few weeks, to minimize the side effects. But the “Nike way” (Just Do It) is probably the best choice for most people. Removing most sugar and starch often results in several pounds lost on the scale within a few days. It may be mostly fluids but it’s great for the motivation.

How low to go?

The less carbohydrate you eat the bigger the effects on weight and blood sugar will be. I recommend following the dietary advice as strict as you can. When you’re happy with your weight and health you may gradually try eating more liberally (if you want to).

Lunch and dinner

Meat, fish or chicken dishes with vegetables and a rich full-fat sauce. There are many alternatives to potatoes, such as mashed cauliflower.

Stews, soups or casseroles with low-carb ingredients.

You can use most recipes in cookbooks if you avoid the carbohydrate-rich ingredients. It’s often a good idea to add fat (e.g. butter, cream) to the recipe. Or get an LCHF cookbook.

Drink water with your meal or (occasionally) a glass of wine.

Snacks

On a low-carbohydrate diet with more fat and a bit more protein you will probably not need to eat as often. Don’t be surprised if you no longer need to snack. Many people do well on two or three meals per day. If you need a snack:

Rolled-up cheese or ham with a vegetable (some people even spread butter on cheese)

Olives and nuts may replace potato chips as great TV snacks. If you always get hungry between meals you’re probably not eating enough fat. Don’t fear fat. Eat more fat until you feel satisfied.

Dining out or meals with friends

Restaurants: Usually not a big problem. You can ask to have potatoes/fries switched for a salad. Ask for extra butter.

Fast food: Kebab can be a decent option (avoid the bread). At hamburger chains the hamburgers are usually the least bad option. Avoid soft drinks and fries, obviously. Drink water. Pizza toppings are usually OK, and the stricter you are the less of the pizza crust you will eat.

If you eat strictly everyday it’s less of a problem to make a few exceptions when you are invited out. If you’re not sure what will be served you can eat something at home before you leave.

Nuts or cheese are good “emergency food” when there are no other adequate options to be found.

Shopping list for beginners

Print this list and bring it to the grocery store:

Butter

Heavy cream (40% fat)

Sour cream (full fat)

Eggs

Bacon

Meat (minced, steaks, stew pieces, fillets, etc.)

Fish (ideally fatty fish like salmon or mackerel)

Cheese (preferably high-fat)

Turkish yoghurt (10% fat)

Cabbage (cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, etc.)

Other vegetables that grow above ground

Frozen vegetables (broccoli, wok vegetables, etc.)

Avocados

Olives

Olive oil

Nuts

Clean out your pantry

Want to maximize your chances of success? Especially if you have difficult cravings / sugar addiction, it is smart to throw out (or give away) sugary and starchy foods, low-fat products, etc. These include:

Candy

Potato chips

Soft drinks and juices

Margarine

Sugar in all forms

Bread

Wheat flour

Pasta

Rice

Potatoes

Breakfast cereals

Everything that says “low fat” or “no fat”

Ice cream

Cookies

Why not do it now?

The Serpent in Paradise

Be very skeptical of special “low-carb” products, such as pasta or chocolate. Unfortunately these products usually work poorly. They have prevented weight loss for loads of people. They’re commonly full of carbs once you see through the creative marketing.

For example, Dreamfields’ “low carb pasta” is almost pure starch, which is absorbed more or less like any pasta, albeit slowly:

Low-carb chocolate is usually full of sugar alcohols, which the manufacturer does not count as carbs. But roughly half of these carbs may be absorbed, raising blood sugar and insulin. The rest of the carbs ends up in the colon, potentially causing gas and diarrhea. Furthermore, any sweeteners can maintain sugar cravings.

If you want to be healthy and slim, eat real food instead.

Recipes

Easy ways to cook eggs

Place the eggs in cold water and boil for 4 minutes for soft-boiled or 8 minutes for hard-boiled. Enjoy them with mayo if you like.

Fry eggs in butter on one or both sides. Add salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a frying pan and add 2 eggs and 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream per serving. Add salt and pepper. Stir until done. Add some chives and grated cheese on top. Serve with fried bacon.

Make an omelet batter with 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of cream. Add salt and spices. Melt butter in the frying pan and pour in the batter. When the upper surface turns solid you can fill it with something tasty. For example one or several kinds of cheese, fried bacon, fried mushrooms, good sausage (read the ingredients) or left-overs from last night’s dinner. Fold the omelet in half and serve with a crispy salad.

Instead of bread

Will you have a hard time living without bread? Ooopsies are a good option. It’s a “bread” without carbs and can be eaten in a variety of ways.

Separate the eggs, with the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another.

Whip egg whites together with salt until very stiff. You should be able to turn the bowl over without the egg whites moving.

Mix the egg yolks and the cream cheese well. If you want, add the psyllium seed husk and baking powder (this makes the Oopsie more bread-like).

Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mix – try to keep the air in the egg whites.

Put 6 large or 8 smaller oopsies on a baking tray.

Bake in the middle of the oven at 150° C (300° F) for about 25 minutes – until they turn golden.

You can have an Oopsie as a sandwich or use it as a bun for a hotdog or hamburger. You can also put different kinds of seeds on them before baking them, for instance poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds. One big Oopsie can be used to make a swiss roll: Add a generous layer of whipped cream and some berries. Enjoy.

Instead of potatoes, rice and pasta

Mashed cauliflower: Divide the cauliflower into smaller pieces and boil them with a pinch of salt until soft. Remove the water. Add cream and butter and mash.

Salads made from above-ground vegetables, perhaps with some kind of cheese. Try out different kinds.

Snacks and dessert

Cream cheese rolls: Roll some cream cheese in a piece of salami, air-dried ham or a long slice of cucumber.

Olives

LCHF chips: On a baking tray, form small piles of grated Parmesan cheese. Heat in oven at 225°C (450°F). Let them melt and get a nice color (be careful – they burn easily). Serve as chips, perhaps with some dip.

More healthy tips

7. Recommended cookbooks

There are a million cookbooks with low-carb recipes. Just avoid books that are unnecessarily scared of fat. Remember: If you avoid carbs you have to eat more fat or you’ll be hungry. Don’t fear fat. Fat is your friend. Add fat until you feel satisfied.

I've been doing LCHF now for 14 months. I also had IBS and can report that it's 95% cleared up by following this program. I've lost 22 kilos in this time and have loads more energy than ever before. Helpful when one also has an active 1+ year old! Good luck!

I don't know what there is out there in English. I live in Sweden and there are some great books and magazines here. But the basics of LCHF are simple. I had tried everything to cure my IBS, from medication to gluten free with no change. It seems that cutting out the carbs and what is essentially food combining (no carbs with proteins) works for me.

I have been on a lowcarb/highfat for about about 3 weeks, and have had a mental fuzz. All of a sudden I just can't get the word to coordinate with the my mouth. Laughable. But am wondering has any one had such a symptom. I'm not really over weight just want to lose a couple pounds.

im starting this diet with my 7 year old who has type.one diabetes and i was wondering how her ketones are going to be affected.and how to reduce them if they do go up and how many ketone are okay. any help would be appriciated. thanks!

I am slowly easing into this way of eating bcos I have avoided animal fats most of my life & used vegetable oils to fry with, which now we are finding out, are not healthy at all for cooking.

Two weeks ago I almost died bcos my body is not use to digesting animal fats. Thankfully, I found a special digestive enzyme that saved me from rushing to the hospital. I kid you not, I suffer from IBS, so believe me when I say, I did suffer. Needless to say, the enzyme that I got (bcos the others don't work on fat very well) is Ox Bile Salts Digest-Aid. It literally saved my life. I was so bloated & bloating by the minute to the point I literally thought I would explode. Talk about pain.

I took this Ox Bile Digest Aid pretty much with every meal for a week then I started to wean off. I'm doing much better now, but I still experience problems with eating fat & IBS. I don't want to rely on the digestive enzymes as I am trying to train my body to learn how to digest fats. So I only take them if I am experiencing real discomfort.

My question to you is, why always cook with butter? I'm confused. If animal fats are healthy for us, why not cook/fry with rendered animal fats? After all, bacon is animal fat and the drippings are suppose to be healthy. So why not cook with animal fats?

My heritage is Norther European and they were big on animal fats for cooking & eating them in their raw smoked state, prior to the fear mongering days of the 70's when animal fats became taboo.

Animal fats don't burn as quick as butter as they have a higher smoking point. And butter when melted down changes it's molecular structure much quicker than Pure Lard. So if the butters molecular structure changes so easily due to heat, this can't be that healthy for us, can it? Hmm?

Pure Lard, Tallow or Fowl Fat are saturated fats, which according to this way of eating is suppose to be healthy for us, so why are these not mentioned in all the web sites promoting the Low Carb High Fat Diet, to cook/fry with???

Please explain, as I don't want to do the wrong thing. My intestines can't handle anymore changes for now. lolololol

Oh, I forgot to also ask about why only above ground vegetables? Yes, I know that beets have a lot of sugar, but they are very healthy for us. Surely you don't suggest we give up root vegetables altogether?

I just started the LCHF diet 5 days ago and have been following the diet faithfully. I drink 8-10 glasses of water a day and an occasional hot herb tea in the mornings. Today I feel extremely bloated. Is this a typical side effect when starting the diet and if yes, what can I do to eliminate it? I have lost 3 pounds but do to the bloating it doesn’t look like it and I feel yucky. Thank you for your assistance.

If you have to lose fat, its a better option to eat to uppregulate fat oxidation.. and that is for moste peopel that they cut out a lot of of carbs.. to get less blood sugar swings, and a normal low insulin level.

Try the eating plan for some weeks, make atention on your apetite, some get hungry in the begining.. others lose there apetite.

ok so fruit is totally out of the question for this LCHF diet! What if n e nutrients is our body now lacking as a result of banishing fruit and what can be eaten in lieu of? I really want to try this diet and am reading up on as much info as i can. For me this is a healthy lifestyle change as well as weight loss .......I also read in everyones individual comments that gas and bloating occured and for myself i suffer from IBS and DO NOT wish these symptoms as i know how uncomfortable they are and what is losing the fiber going to do for me should i just eat more green veggies? Thanks in advance for the replys

I'll tell you the truth. Here's a previous "ADVOCATE" and lover of low carb diets. You bet I adored losing 6 dress sizes in three months....not only that...but the attention....BEAUTIFUL. That being said...I also in my younger years followed a low fat diet and lost the same weight...yes slowper than what low carb did...but then...I cheated. As I got really tiny and felt..."yes! I can eat what I want". Of course I gained weight..had a "special occasion to attend" ....searched out a "quick fix". Did the low carb and again...the instant results were wonderful. After 5 years of that BRUTAL diet...got too skinny, unhealthy from lack of nutrients, wound up in the hospital with 90% liver failure and gallstones and with all that "glorious" fat in the low carb diet....my gallbladder could not process it anymore. It was done. As was my liver. Back to a low fat diet, losing weight "slower" than low carb...but looking just as good and not going "crazy" in the brain from starvation of a dietary need being carbs. I don't need an argument nor will I engage in it. Here's the experience. Loved being "skinny" quickly...but sure didn't love the hospitalization, loss of work hours to pay the bills....no good. Calorie intake vs. low fat (minimal human manufactured foods..sticking to what the earth provides)...at first it's hell. Just as the low carb diet. But here's the gig...you end up after a week feeling soooo good. With energy beyond belief. And it's healthy. Get off the "quick fixes". And thank you "low carb" for messing with my liver and gallbladder. Everyone really needs that, don't they?

I'll tell you the truth. Here's a previous "ADVOCATE" and lover of low carb diets. You bet I adored losing 6 dress sizes in three months....not only that...but the attention....BEAUTIFUL. That being said...I also in my younger years followed a low fat diet and lost the same weight...yes slower than what low carb did...but then...I cheated. As I got really tiny and felt..."yes! I can eat what I want". Of course I gained weight..had a "special occasion to attend" ....searched out a "quick fix". Did the low carb and again...the instant results were wonderful. After 5 years of that BRUTAL diet...got too skinny, unhealthy from lack of nutrients, wound up in the hospital with 80% liver failure and gallstones and with all that "glorious" fat in the low carb diet....my organs could not process it anymore. Both were almost done. Back to a low fat diet which is necessary to avoid surgery...am losing weight "slower" than low carb...but looking just as good and not going "crazy" in the brain from starvation from dietary need for carbs. I don't need argument nor will engage in it. Here's my experience...take from it what you will. Loved being "skinny" quickly...but sure didn't love the hospitalization, loss of work hours to pay the bills..... Calorie intake vs. low fat (minimal human manufactured foods..sticking to what the Earth provides)...at first it's hell. Just as the low carb diet. But here's the gig...you end up after a week feeling soooo good. With energy beyond belief. And it's healthy. Get off the "quick fixes". And thank you "low carb" for messing with my health. Everyone really needs that, don't they? Right. Reality, get off the processed foods...and if you can't do it...wait until your health is in jeopardy..then find the "truth". Just as I did. Perhaps though you need to experience what I did to find your truth. And that's just as fair. Best of luck!

We are a group of 27 participants from across the world doing a challenge on Fatsecret - based on the LCHF Food Revolution - of the Swedish Diet Doctor. The challenge began 2 days ago and is scheduled to end 1 April 2013.

hi, I am insulin resistant and it has been suggested that I try this diet. Is it ok to use stevia as a sugar substitute. I want to cut out all other sugars and carbs, but would love to just have some with my morning coffee.........1 or 2 cups a day?

what are your suggestions for vegetarians that would like to adopt this diet? what fat and protein source could they use?

I've been doing LCHF for 14 months now and have used REAL stevia for the entire time. I don't know where you live but if you are in the USA it is still possible to obtain stevia without sugar alcohols like erythiol. Trader Joe's has the best price. The Diet Doctor doesn't recommend it but I've found that I definitely need something sweet in my life. However, I think it tastes foul in coffee but great in tea. So I take my coffee without sugar and it's fine. It also means I drink less coffee which is no bad thing.

I started the diet hflc in August last year and had good success for the first 2 weeks (I need to lose about 25lb to shed pregnancy weight gain that has lasted 4 years!). I lost about 6lb and was really happy with the diet and then the weightloss stopped abruptly. I did at that time introduce nuts. I wasn't pigging out on them but probably eating a couple of handfuls a day. Before that, I was eating meat, fish, eggs, animal fats/ high fat dairy produce, vegetables (including a little carrot as the only root veg) and some berries. After a few weeks without success and the onset of autumn bugs I gave up and swung back to eating sugars like an addict (I like to bake so not good at all!). Now I want to get back into the diet and have been eating all of the above including some nuts and at 4 days, I'm craving carbs so badly and feel hungry even when my stomach feels full to popping! Is this normal? Will it get better? Also, I haven't had any weightloss yet...I know it's early days but I'm worried that I'll not lose again. I've heard about sensitivity to some carbs even in v low quantity that prevents weight loss...could that be true for me and nuts? Sorry, for all the questions, I really want this diet to work as I like the science behind it and think that low carb is the way to go!

I am sticking with the LCHF diet. I am not counting carbs as such but just eating low carb foods and avoiding all starcy carbs and sugar. Initially, I have lost 6lbs in the first two weeks but this has now stalled. The diet works wonders regarding glucose level in the blood. This is the main reason I have started the diet to reduce diabetic meds. With support from my doc I have already stopped taking one tablet, I find it difficult to have a high intake of fats at meal times. Over the last couple of weeks I have gradually increased the fat intake. I am hoping to use Ghee as my main source of cooking in the near future. Ok, onward to week five of LCHF......

Yes, getting the balance between low carb greens, proteins and fat is going to be worked over over the next few weeks. The additonal fats in the diet would help me stop snacking foods in the evenings. Currently I am using heavy cheeses and double cream as a suplement for stopping starchy carbs. In the longer term I am hoping that I will have fewer meals during the day and eat at times only when I am hungry.

I think my diet will evolve over a time as I get new and different ingredients in the house and adapt my meals accordingly. I am looking at maintaining safe blood glucose levels and hope to loose a small amount of weight.

Thank you for your kind reply Zepp. I did cut out the nuts and my weight has started falling. I am also no longer craving at last. I just have 2 meals a day now (I'm satisfied on that). I just need to find a drink that I like as I can only drink so much coffee with cream, I'm not a fan of teas without milk and while I know that I should be drinking water, I can only stomach a little. I don't want to drink carbonated drinks or 'sugar free', aspartame loaded drinks.

What about beans? A healthy source of protein! I know they are loaded with carbs - so I probably have my answer -

BUT hummus is great! Edamame(sp?) on salads or just as a snack.........

I suppose maybe, if we are on a higher carb vs. lower carb then we can have beans occasionally just like with fruit??

Also I know there is no weighing or measuring needed - but say we were counting calories, fat and carbs - what is a good low carb target number vs. a high carb target number? My carb count total for today is 39 grams of Carbs - is this high or low on your scale? I know some diets say no more than 80 grams of carbs in a day............

Thanks for the response, Zepp - I went to the gym and came back and added some cheese and carrots!! I'm up to 49 grams of carbs!!!

Course, if you've ever used SparkPeople to track your food - you can run a daily nutrition report on how well you did for the day - and well - it says not enough calories and not enough carbs! PSSHHHH - what do they know!!!

965 calories, 42 grams of fat, 49 grams of carbs, and 93 grams of protein. (and I know we don't have to count - I just like to see some days out of curiosity!)

So this means I can have a very dry vodka martini, right? hahahaha - - :)==

HAHA - yeah not a child - I can't help it! I'm just not hungry!! But vodka and 3 olives probably bumped that caloric value up quite a bit!!! Maybe the wrong kind of calories but if I am not hungry and I don't have a headache and I'm not dizzy.......

unless you think my body will go into like starvation mode? and then hold onto every single thing I give it?

I know they say like 1200-1500 calories for a woman my age, trying to lose weight - but is there really harm in not hitting that goal?

Thanks for the informative website. I am not a great fan of eggs, whichever way they are cooked. I cant bring myself to eat them, believe me I have tried over they years to force myself but without any success. I see eggs are a part of the diet, so is there a substitute for eggs that I can incorporate into my LCHF diet?